A conventional commercial process for producing triaminoguanidine nitrate (TAGN) involves the reaction of guanidine nitrate with hydrazine in an aqueous nitrate medium. This process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,421 as providing product yields of about 80 percent. However, the guanidine nitrate is generally prepared from cyanamide in a time consuming and costly reaction.
A direct process for producing TAGN in high yield by reacting cyanamide, hydrazine nitrate, and hydrazine is disclosed in German Auslegeschrift No. 1,518,197, assigned to Wasag-Chemie A.G. This Auslegeschrift discloses a molar ratio of these reactants of 1 to 1 to 2, respectively, to provide a high TAGN yield of about 80 percent based on the amount of cyanamide reactant employed. Although this product yield is excellent, the product purity, based upon the product melting point of 206.degree. C. disclosed in the Auslegeschrift, is something less than is now frequently required in the industry.
Accordingly, a new process for producing TAGN , in high yield and improved purity using a cyanamide reactant would be highly desirable from a commercial standpoint.